


By the Lake's Shore

by orphan_account



Series: Fire and Iron [2]
Category: JackSepticEye (YouTube RPF), Markiplier (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Dragon Jack, Gen, Prince Mark, awkward second meeting, because badgers, brief talk of blood, lots of talking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-30
Updated: 2015-10-30
Packaged: 2018-04-28 20:32:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,203
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5104790
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mark watched the forest edge. Nothing moved. He knew how unlikely Seaghán appearing at the forest’s entrance was, but he still hoped.</p><p>Why did he want to see the dragon again so bad? Why did he have so many unanswered questions for it?</p><p>Perhaps he should find out.</p>
            </blockquote>





	By the Lake's Shore

**Author's Note:**

> A continuation of "Sweet Coincidence." If you haven't read it, you might be a little lost.
> 
> I plan on writing several more drabbles for this universe. If you like it, let me know. Your feedback is appreciated. :)

Months passed since Mark met up with Seaghán. His mind replayed the scenes over and over; his memory of the human in the baker’s shop haunted his dreams. He needed answers. Did Seaghán know how to shift his appearance? Could a dragon do that? Was it even Seaghán at all? Perhaps the stranger’s eyes looked like Seaghán, but it was a coincidence.

So many questions.

Mark rested his hand on the window ledge as he peered out. The sun peeked over the mountains and chased the night air away. The colder weather approached, and fewer birds sang to wake the town.

Mark watched the forest edge. Nothing moved. He knew how unlikely Seaghán appearing at the forest’s entrance was, but he still hoped.

Why did he want to see the dragon again so bad? Why did he have so many unanswered questions for it?

Perhaps he should find out.

Mark grabbed a long cloak from his wardrobe and wrapped it around his shoulders. He peeked out his doorway. No guards roamed this hallway, but he heard them marching nearby. 

Mark knew all the ways to avoid the palace guards. He liked going off without an entourage. Being followed made him nervous. Besides, he liked going off on his own every once and a while to clear his head.

Mark traveled down the hallways and headed to the front gate. He checked to make sure the coast was clear and snuck through the doors. They opened silently, but a chill ran up Mark’s spine. Someone was watching. He slid along the castle wall and hid in the bushes.

The guards lingered above the castle gates and watched for anyone who wanted to get in our out. Mark knew their patterns by heart. They wouldn’t be moving any time soon. If he went through the front gate now, they would see him for sure. Then there went all his plans of meeting Seaghán at all.

Luckily, Mark knew a secret exit. He traveled along the shadow of the castle walls until he reached the back. Mark tapped three stones. The bottom one shifted, and he moved several more until a hole formed. He crawled through and put the rocks back in their place. Thankfully, no one ever saw him get through, so his secret passageway remained secret, and he planned on keeping it that way.

Mark pulled his hood over his face to deflect suspicion. He traveled through his town as people began their morning chores. No one took interested in the cloaked stranger traveling through town, which Mark thanked his lucky stars for. He had to get out and back before dark.

Leaves blanketed the pathway in the forest. They crunched under Mark’s feet and sung along to the forest’s morning routine. Mark knew the path by heart. Even if he got lost, the river ran next to the pathway and steered him back on course.

The river wove through the woods and opened to a lake in a wide meadow. Mark entered the clearing and stood at its shores. Seaghán retrieved its tribute here. He hoped the dragon came to the lake’s shores for a drink, or he wasted a lot of time.

We'll, perhaps it it didn't show, he'd use this time to think. It wouldn't be the first time he came here to clear his head. No one from his town came to the lake waters. It hovered too close to the country’s border, and should anyone invade, they would be the first line of defense.

Mark shivered. Seaghán patrolled the country’s border, or so the legend told him, but their neighbors were unpredictable. They hadn’t communicated since the war over 100 years ago. The more he thought about it, the more he realized how dangerous this was. 

Still, Mark sat down on the shore, crossed his legs over one another, and enjoyed the serenity.

The sun rose high above him before Mark’s stomach growled. He forgot to eat breakfast again. Mark held his stomach as he laid down in the grass.

Perhaps Seaghán only came here for his tribute. Maybe Mark wasted his time. Seaghán had dragon things to do, and he couldn’t expect it to take a day out of its busy schedule to come and humor a curious prince. Still, he wished it would.

“I can hear your stomach growling across the water. You’re not very stealthy.”

Mark opened his eyes, and Seaghán’s blue eyes stared back. He sprung up and retreated a few steps. Seaghán laughed and lay down beside Mark. Its body surrounded Mark and cornered him against the shore. Its tail wrapped around the two of them, and Mark watched the tip rest in the grass.

“You’re hurt,” he said as he reached out to touch the wound. Seaghán pulled his tail out of Mark’s reach and growled. Mark’s hand recoiled.

“It’s just a scratch,” the dragon said and flicked his tail. “Got bit by an overprotective mother.”

“Still, you should get it taken care of.”

“I’m 300 years old. You think a badger bite is going to kill me?”

Mark’s lips curled up into a smile and held in a laugh. He imagined a mother badger biting into Seaghán’s tail. Seaghán noticed Mark’s stifled laughter and snorted through his nose.

“Yeah, go ahead and laugh. Badgers aren’t afraid of nothing.”

Mark's laugh came out softer than he intended, but it put a smile on Seaghán’s face. Mark remembered the questions racing in his head, and he sat back down into the grass. A moment of silence passed.

“Can you change into a human?” Mark asked.

Seaghán quirked an eyebrow. “That’s an interesting question.”

Silence set between them. Mark grabbed a fist full of grass. He scolded himself for sounding silly.

“If you must know, I can.” Mark let the grass go as Seaghán continued, “I don’t do it often, but when I’m bored and want to socialize, I shift into something a little less… scaly.”

“Why not go talk to other dragons?”

“Do you see any other dragons around here?”

“Good point.”

Silence. Mark watched the lake waters ebb like their conversation. Seaghán stared up at the clouds, and Mark wondered if it felt lonely. Dragons hadn’t roamed the lands for many years. Ever since humans claimed their territory, they receded north into the mountains.

“A wizard gave me the gift,” Seaghán spoke. “I helped him settle a problem many years ago.”

“So he let you turn into a useless human?”

“Useless yes, but definitely entertaining.”

Mark laughed and leaned back, resting his weight on his palms. He stared at Seaghán’s tail once again. Blood dripped from the wound and contrasted the grass below it. His smile slipped away. Seaghán noticed Mark staring at his bite wound and thumped his tail. 

“It doesn’t hurt if that’s what you’re wondering.”

“Still-“

Mark looked up at Seaghán and then back at its tail. He pulled at the edge of his cloak and warred with his mind. Seaghán made it clear he wanted it left alone. Mark’s heart bled with its tail. He knew infection set in humans if an open wound hung out to dry in the open air, but would a dragon fall ill to the same fate?

Seaghán watched Mark and folded its front feet over each other.

“If it bothers you that much, you can wrap it.”

Mark’s eyes drifted up toward Seaghán’s face for a moment. The dragon rested its head down in the grass and kept his eyes trained on Mark.

Mark pulled at his cloak’s edge, but the fabric refused to give. He looked around them for a rock with a sharp edge. A few stones rested at the lake’s shore. Mark stood up and dug around in the mud for a stone that would cut the cloth. Most of the rocks were smoothed over after the water ate away all the harsh corners, but he found one that had a jagged edge. He washed his hands off in the water and dried them on his pants.

Mark sat beside Seaghán’s tail. He scratched the rock against his cloak. The fabric threads severed one by one and created tiny tears. Mark’s arm cramped. He continued to scratch at it, determined to get a cloth to wrap around Seaghán’s tail.

After scratching for a half an hour, the cloth came loose. Mark pulled at his cloak and ripped off a long strip. He stared at Seaghán’s tail before looking back at the dragon for permission. Seaghán smiled and nodded his head.

Mark lifted up Seaghán’s tail. The scales slid under his fingers and felt similar to a snake. He held the clothes end in place as he wrapped the rest around Seaghán’s tail, careful to avoid touching the open bite wound with his fingers. One, two, three times he wove the cloth around its tail. The end piece came back and met with the other, and Mark tied them together. He marveled his work before wiping the sweat from his brow.

“A prince and a part time doctor. You are a man of many talents.”

“Well, my father said that a prince who couldn’t help his people was useless, so he taught me how to heal.”

“Seems like a wise endeavor. And a useful one, should some ill fate befall you.”

Goose bumps rose on the back of Mark’s neck. He reminded himself he spoke to a wild dragon, one with many more weapons than Mark possessed, and rubbed his arm. Seaghán’s smile slipped from its face.

“I would never hurt you, if that’s what you’re thinking.”

Mark avoided Seaghán’s gaze, but he relaxed a bit. Did Seaghán have a talent for reading human minds as well? He took in a deep breath through his nose and sighed.

“I trust you.”

Seaghán’s head rose as he stared into the lake water. “I would hope so. I’ve trusted your family for many years. It’d be a shame for me to break it after so long.”

“Why my family? Why protect us when we have nothing to offer you.”

“You feed me sweets, don’t you?”

“True, but I thought dragons liked treasure.”

“What am I supposed to do with treasure? I can’t eat it, now can I? Besides, I’d rather have a thousand cookies instead of 1000 pieces of metal.”

Mark smiled. “Well when you put it that way.”

Silence again. Mark remembered Seaghán’s words about loneliness. He chewed on the inside of his cheek and practiced his next words in his head.

“Why not stay human and get all the pastries you want every day?”

“Which would you prefer, being a dragon or a human? The choice is easy, isn’t it? Besides, I can’t stay in my human skin too long. It’s itchy.”

Mark dry laughed. “But don’t you get lonely living by yourself?”

“I’ll be fine, your majesty. Really.”

“Mark.”

“Excuse me?”

“Just Mark, please.”

Seaghán smirked and shook his head. “Okay ‘just Mark.’ I didn’t know we were already on informal name to name basis.”

“I prefer an informal name to name basis with everyone actually.”

“Oh yes, the little prince who doesn’t wish to be a respected prince.”

“I didn’t say that.”

Seaghán’s laughter interrupted him. Mark watched Seaghán’s head shake as its laugh shook its neck. His laugh warmed Mark’s stomach and made him forget his hunger. Or at least hunger for something else.

Wait what?

Seaghán opened its eyes and looked down at Mark. “I know what you meant. It’s been so long since I’ve spoken to a royal. I know how high and mighty they can be. Usually they view themselves higher than their subjects like they’re some sort of god walking among humans.” Seaghán snuffed. “Ignorant, the lot of them.”

“Oh come on. We’re not all that bad.”

Seaghán stared across the lake. “I’ve met enough to know how a King’s mind works.”

Mark creased his brow. As far as he knew, none of his family besides his great grandfather saw Seaghán. Did he watch from a distance? Did he approve of how his family ran the kingdom? Mark stared down at his feet. If Seaghán detested the way his family ruled, why would he still protect it?

Seaghán stood up and stretched its wings. The shadow woke Mark from his thoughts, and he stared up at the translucent leather above him. A scar ran across the leather, and Mark sucked in a breath. It weaved its way from the tip of Seaghán’s wing to the base. Seaghán folded them back up and walked toward the forest edge.

“Where-“

“I’m hungry.” Seaghán looked over his shoulder. “As are you. We should both get something to eat.”

“But-“

“If you come to the lake’s edge, I will come to you. You are interesting, Mark. I look forward to our next conversation.”

Seaghán walked into the woods and left Mark alone in the clearing.

Mark pouted. He still had so many questions. Perhaps he asked too much. Did he offend Seaghán? Mark ran a hand through his hair and looked across the clearing. The sun set across the horizon. Had he really stayed out all day? Mark sighed and stood up.

Hopefully Seaghán would meet him tomorrow.

**Author's Note:**

> Feel free to also check out my tumblr [of-nerds-n-cookies](of-nerds-n-cookies.tumblr.com) for more fic reccomendations.


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